M 16 Eagle Nebula: Chandra X-Ray Point Source Catalog for 1754 Stars

The Eagle Nebula (M 16), located 1750 parsecs from the Sun, is the focus of this catalog. It contains X-ray properties for 1754 point sources, including 1183 candidate cluster members, derived from three Chandra/ACIS-I observations totaling approximately 238 ks. The data was produced by researchers analyzing the correlation between X-ray emission and stellar evolutionary stages in young clusters.

Use Cases

• Compare X-ray luminosity functions between young clusters based on the analysis of M 16 and the Orion Nebula Cluster.
• Investigate the correlation between X-ray activity and the presence of circumstellar disks based on the classification of 219 disk-bearing and 964 disk-less stars.
• Analyze the spectral properties of OB stars to understand mechanisms for hard X-ray production.
• Model X-ray spectra using thermal plasma or power-law fits based on source count thresholds described in the methodology.

Strengths

• Contains data for 1754 distinct X-ray point sources.
• Includes source classification for 1183 candidate cluster members based on optical and infrared properties.
• Derived from three dedicated Chandra/ACIS-I observations with a total exposure time of approximately 238 ks.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Analysis of archival and new Chandra/ACIS-I X-ray observations.

Time Range

Observations likely span the operational period of the Chandra X-ray Observatory.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 19:55:57.615951; freshness should be verified.

Geography

The Eagle Nebula (M 16) and its central cluster NGC 6611.